Chapter Summaries

Xiao Chen demonstrated his overwhelming strength in the North Zone and easily secured Liu Yulong’s private courtyard by telling him his name. After settling in, Xiao Chen worried about obtaining enough cultivation resources, then received an urgent mission message from Gu Lanlan.

• Xiao Chen knocked down more than a dozen attendants, and they recognized him as the newcomer who had defeated Zhang Qinlong in one move.
• Xiao Chen asked Niu Feng to lead him to Liu Yulong’s private courtyard so he could negotiate a residence exchange.
• Liu Yulong heard Xiao Chen’s name, agreed to move out without asking for compensation, and planned to challenge someone else for a courtyard.
• Xiao Chen moved in and considered how to obtain cultivation resources despite his limited money and difficulty selling the Longevity Blossom.
• Gu Lanlan sent Xiao Chen a message saying the sect had an urgent mission.

Xiao Chen joined Gu Lanlan for an emergency mission to find a moving medium-sized spirit vein on Azure Pine Mountain, despite the danger of a powerful demon rumored to haunt it. After Gu Lanlan gave him five spirit stones, Xiao Chen left, while Lin Hu arrived at Lin Bao’s courtyard intending to punish Xiao Chen.

• Xiao Chen hurried to Gu Lanlan’s Rising-Sun Zone courtyard after receiving word of the emergency mission.
• Gu Lanlan explained that the sect was offering a reward for collecting a medium-sized spirit vein on Azure Pine Mountain, and warned Xiao Chen that Lin Hu and Lin Yu were competing with them.
• Gu Lanlan warned Xiao Chen about Lin Hu’s history of harming weaker disciples and about a powerful demon rumored to have appeared on Azure Pine Mountain.
• Gu Lanlan gave Xiao Chen five low-grade spirit stones, and he accepted them before agreeing to meet her the next morning.
• Lin Hu entered Lin Bao’s courtyard, expecting Lin Bao to have beaten Xiao Chen and declaring that he would break Xiao Chen’s limbs.

Lin Bao learned that Lin Hu had sent him to target Xiao Chen while hiding Xiao Chen’s identity and strength, and he severed their ties. Lin Hu then planned to kill Xiao Chen during the Azure Pine Mountain mission, but learned a powerful great demon had appeared there.

• Lin Bao told Lin Hu that Xiao Chen had defeated Zhang Qinlong in one strike and realized Xiao Chen was Sword Demon Xiao Chen, the Zhenbei King's son.
• Lin Bao returned Lin Hu’s three Tai Xu Pills and ordered him to leave, ending their relationship.
• Lin Hu blamed Xiao Chen and learned from Zhang Feng that Gu Lanlan had accepted the Azure Pine Mountain Spirit Vein Mission.
• Lin Hu resolved to kill Xiao Chen on the mission and make it look like demonic beasts had killed him.
• Zhang Feng warned Lin Hu that a fourth- or fifth-level Demon General had appeared on Azure Pine Mountain, and Lin Hu asked how often it had appeared.

Lin Hu and Lin Yu plotted to kill Xiao Chen during the Spirit Vein Mission while Qing Yumei worried about the danger. As Xiao Chen’s Ten Thousand Calamities Curse erupted during cultivation, Qiongqi urged him to turn its power into a whetstone for his Sword Dao.

• Lin Hu dismissed Zhang Feng’s concern that the powerful demon still lurked on Azure Pine Mountain and went to speak with Lin Yu about the mission.
• Lin Yu threatened Qing Yumei and warned her that Xiao Chen might soon die from the Ten Thousand Calamities Curse.
• Lin Hu told Lin Yu that Xiao Chen and Gu Lanlan would join the Spirit Vein Mission, then persuaded her to help him kill Xiao Chen and blame the demon beasts.
• Qing Yumei sent Xiao Chen a warning to abandon the mission, but he told her he had a way to handle the danger.
• Xiao Chen’s Ten Thousand Calamities Curse flared during cultivation, and Qiongqi urged him to use its power to strengthen his Sword Dao.

Xiao Chen tried to use the Ten Thousand Calamities Curse as a sharpening stone and discovered that Xue Shan’s remnant soul controlled it. As the curse nearly killed him, Xiao Chen’s will to survive stirred again, and Qiongqi continued watching without intervening.

• Xiao Chen followed Qiongqi’s advice and entered his Sea of Consciousness to face the Evil Curse.
• Xiao Chen found Xue Shan’s remnant soul, who revealed that he had sacrificed his chance at rebirth to become the Ten Thousand Calamities Curse inside Xiao Chen.
• Xiao Chen struck Xue Shan with the Dragon Slayer Sword, but Xue Shan regenerated and attacked him with a freezing storm of black snow.
• Xiao Chen collapsed as the curse’s black snow covered him, and Qiongqi prepared to save him when his life was nearly extinguished.
• Xiao Chen gripped the Dragon Slayer Sword again and declared that he could not die before fulfilling his ambitions.

Xiao Chen survived Xue Shan’s demon snow by combining several powerful techniques and used the curse as a whetstone to strengthen his sword cultivation. After advancing three levels, he returned to the Tai Xu Sect and headed to Gu Lanlan’s courtyard, where he found Senior Brother Lin and Senior Sister Lin blocking her door.

• At death’s door, Xiao Chen activated his purple Sword Qi, healing power, Limitless Sword Intent, and Fire Lotus Blaze to withstand Xue Shan’s demon snow.
• Xiao Chen realized he could use the Evil Curse as a whetstone, and his Sword Qi grew stronger as the demon snow battered him.
• Xiao Chen broke through from the fourth to the seventh level of Sword Master while Xue Shan watched in shock.
• When the curse power ran out, Xiao Chen praised Qiongqi’s advice, then bathed, ate, and continued cultivating through the night.
• The next morning, Xiao Chen concealed his stronger aura and went to Gu Lanlan’s courtyard, where he heard her ask Senior Brother Lin and Senior Sister Lin why they were blocking her door.

Xiao Chen joined Gu Lanlan’s mission journey to Azure Pine Mountain despite her warnings that Lin Hu intended to harm him. Aboard the Tai Xu Ship, Xiao Chen found Lin Yu and Lin Hu had beaten Qing Yumei and tried to force her to keep Lin Hu company, and he confronted them openly.

• Lin Hu and Lin Yu pressured Gu Lanlan to let them travel with her, and Xiao Chen agreed to join the group despite Gu Lanlan’s and Qing Yumei’s concern.
• The group registered at the Avian Hall and departed aboard a small Tai Xu Ship bound for Azure Pine Mountain.
• Gu Lanlan warned Xiao Chen that Lin Hu planned to use the mission to harm him, but Xiao Chen insisted he was not worried.
• Xiao Chen heard Qing Yumei crying in a neighboring room and rushed in to find her kneeling with a swollen, bleeding face beside Lin Hu and Lin Yu.
• Qing Yumei told Xiao Chen that Lin Yu had ordered her to keep Lin Hu company alone, and Xiao Chen helped her up and confronted the siblings.
• Lin Yu demanded that Xiao Chen repeat his insult after he denounced her, while Gu Lanlan and Qing Yumei tried to calm her.

Xiao Chen defied Lin Yu after she threatened him, then learned that the second volume of the Heaven Defying Demon Slayer Art was somewhere on Flowing Fire Mountain in Central Province. The Tai Xu Ship reached Azure Pine Mountain, where the Lin siblings renewed their hostile stares as everyone prepared to disembark.

• Lin Yu prepared to attack Xiao Chen, but Lin Hu persuaded her to wait until they reached Azure Pine Mountain and promised she could take revenge there.
• Xiao Chen reassured Gu Lanlan and Qing Yumei, then resumed cultivating while they worried about the Lin siblings' retaliation.
• Xiao Chen asked the system about the Heaven Defying Demon Slayer Art's second volume and learned it was on Flowing Fire Mountain in Central Province.
• Qiongqi warned Xiao Chen that Flowing Fire Mountain was a deadly place of erupting magma and Karma Fire Serpents, and advised him to wait until he reached Sword General.
• The Tai Xu Ship arrived at Azure Pine Mountain, and Lin Yu warned Xiao Chen that demons there might eat him.

Xiao Chen confronted Lin Hu and Lin Yu after they threatened him and his companions in the Barren Mountains. When Lin Hu attacked, Xiao Chen revealed his strength by meeting his punch and forcing him back.

• Xiao Chen answered Lin Yu's warning by predicting that she and Lin Hu would suffer a bloody calamity, and Lin Yu challenged him to settle things in Green Pine Forest.
• After the Tai Xu Ship left, Lin Hu and Lin Yu threatened to kill Xiao Chen, Gu Lanlan, and Qing Yumei and blame their deaths on demon beasts.
• Xiao Chen urged Gu Lanlan and Qing Yumei to escape, but Gu Lanlan fought Lin Yu while Lin Hu prepared to attack Xiao Chen.
• Lin Yu defeated Gu Lanlan and knocked out both her and Qing Yumei, while Xiao Chen remained calm and refused to flee.
• Lin Hu charged Xiao Chen with a blazing punch, but Xiao Chen's punch forced Lin Hu three steps back and left him standing firm.

Xiao Chen defeated Lin Hu and Lin Yu despite their combined attacks, then killed Lin Hu and demanded to know why they had targeted him. Lin Yu revealed that Lin Hu was jealous because he believed the Silver Moon Princess had feelings for Xiao Chen.

• Lin Yu and Lin Hu realized Xiao Chen was a top-tier Realm Jumper, and Lin Hu called on his sister to help him fight.
• Xiao Chen drew the Dragon Slayer Sword and began overpowering the siblings, despite their weapons and attacks damaging the forest and a nearby mountain.
• Lin Yu and Lin Hu unleashed their martial techniques, but Xiao Chen used Ascension-to-Immortality Swordplay to shatter their weapons and seriously wound them.
• Xiao Chen killed Lin Hu after he refused to explain his hostility, then asked Lin Yu why her brother had targeted him.
• Lin Yu said Lin Hu had admired the Silver Moon Princess and grew jealous after believing she had feelings for Xiao Chen.

Xiao Chen killed Lin Hu and Lin Yu, hid their remains, and rejoined Gu Lanlan and Qing Yumei under a false story. The trio followed a lead to a spirit vein, only to encounter a Shadow Demon Lion whose strength far exceeded what they could face, as Xiao Chen's ancient black token began to glow.

• Xiao Chen killed Lin Yu, burned and buried her and Lin Hu's bodies, and left their Space Stone Rings behind to avoid leaving clues for Tai Xu Sect.
• Xiao Chen told Gu Lanlan and Qing Yumei that a demon beast had driven Lin Hu and Lin Yu away, then joined them in searching for a rumored spirit vein near Azure Pine Mountain.
• A huge creature with golden eyes emerged briefly from Green Pine Forest, then vanished back into the woods.
• The trio reached a lifeless area and found a dark cave with faint white light inside, where Qing Yumei sensed danger and Xiao Chen detected demon aura.
• A Shadow Demon Lion emerged from the cave and revealed itself as a Grandmaster; Gu Lanlan and Qing Yumei despaired as Xiao Chen realized he could not defeat it.
• Xiao Chen's ancient black token began to glow.

Xiao Chen used Liu Sanji’s token to make the Shadow Demon Lion, Yin An, treat him as a respected guest. Yin An let Xiao Chen take a spirit vein that he had nearly drained dry, but Xiao Chen invoked Liu Sanji’s name to press him for Demon Cores as well.

• Liu Sanji spoke to Xiao Chen through the token before his wisp of consciousness faded away.
• The Shadow Demon Lion saw the token, became terrified and deferential, and introduced himself as Yin An.
• Yin An claimed to know Liu Sanji and agreed to let Xiao Chen and his companions take the low-grade spirit vein in his cave.
• Xiao Chen found that Yin An had drained nearly all the spirit vein’s spirituality, leaving it ruined and useless for their mission.
• As Xiao Chen started to leave, he asked Yin An for Demon Cores and used Liu Sanji’s name to pressure him; Yin An stopped him before he could go.

Yin An gave Xiao Chen more than twenty General Realm Demon Cores and revealed where Flowing Fire Mountain lay, where Xiao Chen hoped to find the second volume of the Heaven Defying Demon Slayer Art. After reaching Azure Pine City to wait for the Tai Xu Ship, Xiao Chen was about to eat when a noblewoman appeared and called him Chen’er.

• Yin An gave Xiao Chen more than twenty General Realm Demon Cores after learning he was Liu Sanji’s friend.
• Xiao Chen asked Yin An about Flowing Fire Mountain, and Yin An described its dangers and gave him its location in eastern Central Province.
• Xiao Chen left Azure Pine Mountain with Gu Lanlan and Qing Yumei and went to Azure Pine City to wait for the Tai Xu Ship.
• Xiao Chen and his companions entered Myriad Blessings Tavern, ordered food, and prepared to eat.
• A noblewoman arrived with a young man and called Xiao Chen “Chen’er.”

Princess Zhenbei Wen Wanrong brought Xiao Lingtian to confront Xiao Chen and ask him for the method to restore a dantian. Xiao Chen refused his family’s pleas and rejected Wen Wanrong’s gold, while Cao Xiu left with a veiled threat.

• Wen Wanrong and the gaunt Xiao Lingtian entered the tavern, where Gu Lanlan and Qing Yumei recognized Princess Zhenbei and bowed to her.
• Xiao Lingtian accused Xiao Chen of enjoying himself while he suffered, and Xiao Chen reminded him that he had poisoned him and crippled his dantian.
• Xiao Lingtian demanded forgiveness, but Xiao Chen refused, and Wen Wanrong pleaded with him to help his younger brother.
• Cao Xiu urged Xiao Chen to hand over the method to restore a dantian, but Wen Wanrong ordered him to stand down.
• Wen Wanrong offered Xiao Chen one thousand taels of gold and asked him to reconsider, but he threw the purse away and Cao Xiu mouthed a threat as they left.

Xiao Chen reassured Qing Yumei about returning to the Tai Xu Sect after learning how Lin Yu had treated her former retainers. While Gu Lanlan and Qing Yumei browsed cosmetics, Xiao Chen slipped away to meet Cao Xiu and settle their threat.

• Cao Xiu confronted Xiao Chen, and Xiao Chen silently answered him before Cao Xiu left with a cold nod.
• Gu Lanlan warned Xiao Chen that Cao Xiu was a powerful Martial General, but Xiao Chen stayed calm and continued eating with her and Qing Yumei.
• Gu Lanlan told Qing Yumei that Lin Yu's previous retainers had died or gone mad, and Xiao Chen condemned the Tai Xu Sect's failure to punish the powerful.
• Xiao Chen claimed Lin Hu and Lin Yu were probably dead, convincing Qing Yumei to remain in the Tai Xu Sect.
• After the meal, Xiao Chen left the women at a cosmetics shop and headed to a wasteland outside the city to keep his deadly appointment.

Xiao Chen confronted Cao Xiu and Xiao Lingtian in the wasteland, where he revealed overwhelming strength despite appearing afflicted by the Ten Thousand Calamities Curse. After killing Cao Xiu, he gave Xiao Lingtian a dagger and watched as his brother hesitated to take his own life.

• Xiao Chen found Cao Xiu and Xiao Lingtian waiting for him in the wasteland, where Xiao Lingtian ordered Cao Xiu to cripple Xiao Chen and seize his secret method.
• Cao Xiu attacked Xiao Chen with a giant hammer, but Xiao Chen's sword strike sent the weapon flying and split the ground.
• Cao Xiu concluded that Xiao Chen had a secret method suppressing the curse, while Xiao Lingtian was stunned that Xiao Chen truly was cursed yet remained so powerful.
• Xiao Chen cut off Cao Xiu's head and handed Xiao Lingtian a dagger after Xiao Lingtian said he would rather die than keep suffering.
• Xiao Lingtian put the dagger to his neck but hesitated, and Xiao Chen asked whether he was afraid of death.

Xiao Chen broke Xiao Lingtian’s resolve and brought him back to Wen Wanrong, then claimed he had killed Cao Xiu. Xiao Lingtian left in despair, convinced his brother’s strength was far greater than he had imagined.

• Xiao Lingtian begged Xiao Chen to kill him, but Xiao Chen refused and sent him back to Wen Wanrong.
• Qing Yumei and Gu Lanlan searched for Xiao Chen, while Wen Wanrong feared he had gone to confront Cao Xiu.
• Xiao Chen returned with Xiao Lingtian, whose bloodied, vacant appearance alarmed Wen Wanrong.
• Xiao Chen told Gu Lanlan and Qing Yumei that he had beheaded Cao Xiu, though Gu Lanlan laughed and Qing Yumei doubted him.
• Wen Wanrong rebuked Xiao Lingtian for taking Cao Xiu to confront Xiao Chen, while Xiao Lingtian wondered why Heaven favored his brother.

Wen Wanrong learned that Xiao Chen had killed Cao Xiu with one sword, while the Tai Xu Ship crew discovered that Lin Hu and Lin Yu were dead. The ship remained waiting for further instructions as Gu Lanlan questioned Xiao Chen about what he knew.

• Xiao Lingtian told Wen Wanrong that Xiao Chen had killed Cao Xiu, and guards confirmed the killing at the wasteland before Wen Wanrong ordered them to conceal it.
• Xiao Chen, Gu Lanlan, and Qing Yumei boarded the Tai Xu Ship, but the crew delayed departure because Lin Hu and Lin Yu had not arrived.
• Xiao Chen claimed an old yellow dog demon had attacked the Lin siblings, and the crew reported their disappearance to the Tai Xu Sect.
• The Tai Xu Sect reported that Lin Hu and Lin Yu's soul figures had shattered, confirming their deaths.
• Gu Lanlan realized Xiao Chen might know more than he admitted, and a crewman warned him that he might be in trouble.

After learning that Liu Ri Ming blamed him for Lin Hu and Lin Yu’s deaths, Xiao Chen returned to the Tai Xu Sect and found the elder waiting to punish him. Liu Ri Ming’s Dao Power made Xiao Chen’s expected advantage uncertain as the elder ordered him to Black Kill Hall.

• A young sailor warned Xiao Chen that Liu Ri Ming suspected him of killing Lin Hu and Lin Yu, and Gu Lanlan urged him to prepare for danger.
• Xiao Chen learned Liu Ri Ming was a Half-Step Grandmaster and decided to focus on breaking through to the General Realm rather than risk using the Ancient True Devil.
• During the voyage, Gu Lanlan introduced Qing Yumei to a trusted friend, while Xiao Chen studied the two stages of condensing a Martial Core and learned he would need a rare Five-Colored Spirit Fruit to nourish it.
• The Tai Xu Ship returned to the Tai Xu Sect, where Liu Ri Ming was waiting at the mountain gate and demanding that Xiao Chen come out.
• Xiao Chen recognized that Liu Ri Ming possessed Dao Power, and the elder accused him of harming his disciples and ordered him to return to Black Kill Hall for punishment.

Liu Ri Ming tried to take Xiao Chen away without investigating the deaths of Lin Hu and Lin Yu, forcing Xiao Chen to challenge the Half-Step Grandmaster. Just as Liu Ri Ming prepared to strike, a mysterious figure arrived and stopped his blade aura with a single leaf.

• Liu Ri Ming dismissed Zhou Hai’s attempt to intervene and insisted that Xiao Chen was guilty, while Xiao Chen remembered Zhou Hai for speaking up for him.
• After Liu Ri Ming threatened to bully him, Xiao Chen revealed that he would rather fight than be taken to the Black Kill Hall.
• Xiao Chen drew the Dragon Slayer Sword despite Gu Lanlan and Qing Yumei warning him that Liu Ri Ming was too powerful.
• Liu Ri Ming drew his blade and offered to let Xiao Chen leave if he survived three strikes, unleashing a crushing blade aura.
• A sharp leaf cut through the void, shattered Liu Ri Ming’s blade aura, and halted the fight as a figure appeared and told him he had crossed the line.